Nintendo WII Coming

Well it's getting very interesting in the next-gen video game console wars. I admit I had basically given up on Nintendo coming up with anything interesting... especially when they gave up on making their new system as high end as the PS2 or the Xbox360.

From Yahoo News:

Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s (7974.OS) new Wii video game console, considered the underdog in the console wars because it lacks the high-definition graphics and multimedia features of its rivals, is stealing the show at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show.
The wait to try out the Wii at E3 pushed past four hours on Thursday afternoon, while the wait for hands-on time with Sony Corp.'s (6758.T) PlayStation 3 was barely 30 minutes. Both consoles will hit the market later this year, though the Wii is expected to cost much less than rival consoles.

The Wii (pronounced "we") uses a motion-sensor enabled controller that looks like a TV remote and allows users to direct action on the screen by wielding it like a sword or swinging it like a baseball bat, tennis racket or golf club.

"It's basically a whole different thing from anything I've seen before," said Josef Faulkner, who had been waiting in line for three hours to get his hands on Wii. He still had an hour to go. "This is definitely the biggest thing here."

Faulkner and other attendees agreed that the unique controller is what is drawing people to the Wii.

Unlike other next-generation consoles, Wii doesn't sport high-definition graphics or make any promises of being a multimedia entertainment hub, but it promises a unique, fun experience new to video games.

While the fun vs. graphics equation has worked in the past (I believe Duke3D was eminently more playable and fun than Quake) - I'm still not sure how WII will stand up against Microsoft and Sony's plans on making their systems the center of our media worlds. Intel is also putting a lot of marketing muscle into their Viiv technology - which is the same sort of concept - have a computer run all of your music, photos, movies, etc.

More Coverage:

• Local Minneapolis blogger Noel covers booth babes at Pop Whirled.
• Read about Nintendo's entire philosophy behind Wii.
• A whole slew of Nintendo Wii news at NintendoRevolution.ca

Which system are you most looking forward to? Already own an Xbox360? Saving for the PS3? Or holding out to see if Nintendo has some more tricks up their sleeve?